Africa Gets 60% of U.S. Contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC

August 7, 2012

The United States is pleased to announce its third contribution this fiscal year toward the 2012 operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). With this contribution of more than $41 million, the United States is providing to-date approximately $720 million to the organization, including more than $100 million toward emergency appeals for vulnerable populations from Syria, Sudan, and Mali. These contributions are funded through the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, and help advance UNHCR initiatives worldwide.

U.S. funding will support protection and life-saving assistance as well as refugee repatriation, local integration, and resettlement. U.S. funding supports the provision of water, shelter, food, healthcare, and education to refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other persons under UNHCR’s care and protection in countries such as South Sudan, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad, Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.

The most recent contribution will support UNHCR’s Annual and Supplementary Program activities listed below:

* Africa                                            $25.4 million
* Syria Regional Response Plan      $9.6 million
* Global Operations[1]                   $1.5 million
* Headquarters                                $2.8 million
* Asia and Pacific                           $1.9 million

We continue to salute the vital work of UNHCR, its many partner non-governmental organizations (NGO), and refugee-hosting countries in providing protection to displaced populations around the world.
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[1] The U.S. contribution to UNHCR’s Global Operations support a number of efforts including UNHCR’s work with IDPs, strengthening local NGO capacity, and child protection activities.

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